Butterfly World unveils details of "Future Gardens" - 1st UK showcase for outstanding contemporary sustainable garden design

The site plan for the "Future Gardens" show ground at Butterfly World in 2009Future Gardens, the launch-pad of Phase I of Butterfly World Project, which was launched by Sir David Attenborough and David Bellamy earlier this year, has attracted a range of globally acclaimed designers and exciting emerging talent for its inaugural designer garden event that will run from June - October 2009.

The selection panel including James Alexander Sinclair, Andrew Fisher Tomlin and Cleve West chose 12 designs from nearly a hundred entrants from around the world. The combination of outstanding contemporary sustainable garden designs will captivate, bewilder, enchant and sometimes perplex.

As Butterfly World's annual Future Gardens event will be open for four months every year, longer than traditional garden shows, it will offer visitors the chance to see and appreciate how gardens mature and evolve through the season.

All the pioneering designs acknowledge the fragility of our environment and will inspire visitors to take home ideas on how they can develop their own outside space in an environmentally friendly way.

Selection panelist, James Alexander Sinclair, garden designer, journalist and broadcaster said:
"Occasionally it is good to let the imagination soar. That is what Future Gardens is all about: to allow flights of fancy to fly and to give the offbeat room to roam. Let there be no constraints and let us throw convention to the four winds."

Fellow selection panellist, Cleve West added:
"The quality of the twelve selected gardens, both in terms of presentation and innovation, was outstanding and will fanfare the arrival of Future Gardens in a big way.  I'm looking forward to seeing these gardens come to life and make Future Gardens the garden event we've all been waiting for."

There is a 13th show garden - "Harry's Garden" which is being designed by Fern Alder.

Butterfly World

Future Gardens is the launch pad of the Butterfly World Project and shares its overall conservation and environmental philosophy. Butterfly World will be a £25 million world-class visitor attraction and active conservation vehicle to fund research and community projects.

The 26 acre Butterfly World site, near St Albans, is designed in the shape of a Giant Butterfly with a biome as its multifaceted eye. The overall site is masterminded by the celebrated designer Ivan Hicks and creates a series of gardens and meadow areas, designed to increase the site's plant and animal diversity and provide a unique educational, scientific research and recreational resource.

Viewed from above, the designer gardens take the form of the caterpillar of the Giant Privet Hawk Moth. Its body segments form the individual gardens. Other key garden features of Butterfly World include 'antennae' walk-ways, a 'chrysalis' lake,  a spiral 'proboscis' walk,  and a feature butterfly garden - each with specially selected nectar food plants to attract indigenous butterflies.It will be the world's biggest and most exciting butterfly attraction bringing the public into direct contact with some of the most fragile and beautiful wildlife the world has to offer.

Construction of Butterfly World is already underway with the first milestone almost complete - the creation of 'Miriam Lane', named in tribute to the late Dame Miriam Rothschild, which gives access to the site.

Future Gardens Bursary
In a deliberate move away from high-cost show gardens, Butterfly World's Future Gardens bursary scheme gives designers a maximum budget of £25,000 to cover construction and materials. This frees them from the headache of securing sponsorship and ensured the selection panel was free to pick the best possible designs for the event, solely on the merit of the design.

Future Gardens is founded by TJM Associates, the same team who created The International Festival of the Garden at Westonbirt UK. TJM Director Therese Lang explains the ethos behind Future Gardens:
"In today's overcrowded world, the garden has become a sanctuary. People's approach to gardens and their function is changing. Outside space has never been more precious than it is today.

"In my creative brief designers have been encouraged to use plants that are both draught tolerant and attractive to wildlife, particularly butterflies. Visitors will have the opportunity to become 'part of the gardens': to interact with them, enjoy them, wander in them, or sit and reflect, as opposed to merely observing from afar. This project will make a real difference not least in inspiring the custodians of our future - our children."

Future Gardens selection panel:
·         James Alexander Sinclair
·         Andrew Fisher Tomlin
·         Cleve West
·         Ivan Hicks
·         Therese Lang
·         Clive Farrell
·         TJM Associates Ltd, Founders, Future Gardens
·        

Butterfly World Project Ltd is the company responsible for developing and running the £25m visitor attraction
·         Butterfly World Project Founders: Clive Farrell; Co-Founder John Calvert
·         Project Trustees:
·         Professor David Bellamy (Chief Trustee)
·         The Dowager Lady Pamela Egremont
·         Doctor Jeremy Thomas
·         Malcolm Tucker
·         Stella Smith

·         Project Patrons:
·         Sir David Attenborough CH FRS
·         The Marquess of Salisbury PC DL    
·         Emilia Fox
·         The Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire, The Countess Verulam
·         Baroness Helena Kennedy QC
·         Prof. John A Pickett CBE DSc FRS  
·         Martin Lane Fox FRICS VMH
·         Allan Titchmarsh MBE VMH DL
·         Rosie Boycott
·         Priscilla Rattazzi-Whittle
·         Ian Worlock

·         A percentage of Butterfly World's profits will be donated to the Butterfly World Trust to invest into research, conservation and community projects.
·         Designer gardens fencing provided by Quercus Fencing.
·         www.butterfly-world.org and www.futuregardens.org